Taxi Driver Kills Pedestrian on York Avenue
Abdul Hakim, driving a Toyota RAV4 cab, hit James Mossetty near York Avenue and East 72nd Street around 5 a.m., where city data records one pedestrian killed and failure to yield.
What We Know
James Mossetty, 36, was killed near York Avenue and East 72nd Street in Manhattan around 5 a.m. on Aug. 30, 2025. City crash data records one pedestrian death involving a taxi and lists failure to yield as a contributing factor. Police and prosecutors identified the driver as 71-year-old Abdul Hakim and said he did not stop after hitting Mossetty. News accounts agreed that Mossetty was dragged, though they reported different distances. Emergency responders took Mossetty to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Hakim was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash.
A fatal early-morning crash on York Avenue
The crash was recorded at 5:03 a.m. on Aug. 30, 2025, at York Avenue and East 72nd Street. City data records one pedestrian killed and a taxi going straight south before impact, with failure to yield listed as a contributing factor.
Police told reporters that James Mossetty, 36, was crossing York Avenue near East 72nd Street when Abdul Hakim, 71, driving a Toyota RAV4 cab, hit him and did not stop. Emergency responders took Mossetty to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
York Avenue has seen repeated harm since 2022
The crash happened at York Avenue and East 72nd Street on the Upper East Side. CrashCountNYC location context for York Avenue in Manhattan counts 396 crashes, 158 injuries, 15 serious injuries and 5 deaths from 2022 through June 1, 2026.
Family members asked that Mossetty be remembered fully
Mossetty’s relatives described him as a son, brother and father, and said he had struggled with mental illness and homelessness. His sister Jessica Hernandez told Patch, “We reject any attempt to define him by his past. He was more than his record.”
Hernandez said Mossetty had gone to a local hospital for mental health care and was discharged around 3 a.m. before the crash. A family statement published by East Side Feed said he deserved dignity, compassion and safety.
The driver was arrested, and reports differed on court details
Police arrested Abdul Hakim later the same day in Queens, according to the reviewed accounts, and charged him with leaving the scene of a fatal crash. East Side Feed and El Diario reported bail at $300,000, while Patch reported $100,000 bail. East Side Feed described an arraignment in Queens Criminal Court, while El Diario described Manhattan Criminal Court.
Investigators and relatives pointed to preventable factors
City crash data lists failure to yield right-of-way for the taxi. El Diario reported prosecutors said Hakim denied hitting anyone after his arrest but admitted hearing a loud noise and feeling the cab slow as if it were dragging something. A family statement published by East Side Feed said the driver had admitted being at the end of a 12-hour shift, and the statement called for laws that treat fatigued driving as a crime.
Accounts agreed he was dragged, but not on the distance
The reviewed articles all said Hakim continued driving after the impact and that Mossetty was dragged. East Side Feed reported roughly 12 blocks before Mossetty’s body dislodged near the lower level of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. El Diario reported about one mile and cited prosecutors describing surveillance that showed the taxi turning toward the bridge while visibly dragging the body. Patch reported 10 blocks.